CPM launches all-India Dalit front to press for special Parliament session

Speaking at the launch of the Manch, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the BJP was trying to pit Dalits against Muslims and Christians to further their Hindutva agenda. “We have seen this in Muzaffarnagar and elsewhere,” he said, adding, “If we have to put an end to increasing inequality, we have to draw upon the experience of Ambedkar, Phule and Periyar besides our own Marxist understanding.” The co-convenor of the Manch, Asim Bala, a four-time former MP from West Bengal, said the front will hold state-level conventions to press its demands.

The CPM already has nine state-level Dalit organisations, including the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, the Pattika Jathi Kshema Samiti in Kerala and the Tripura Scheduled Caste Coordination Committee.  The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch will be an umbrella organisation for these state bodies. The committee’s other demands include reservation in the private sector, implementing land reforms and encouraging inter-caste marriages.

Writer is an EXIMS student